NWJill

First off, we all deal with food cravings and bad choices, no matter where you are in your journey. I guess my question is why did you make the choice for surgery in the first place? Because there are the things you want and then there are the things you REALLY want. I may be different from some on this board but I think there are no foods off limits, but you have to find ways to make better choices to make those foods into healthy options. For example, You say you love fried chicken and mashed potatoes, so make your own, I take breast tenders and use Panko (or use a crushed up high Protein flake cereal) and spices to make a baked chicken tender. You have lots of choices for the potato, smash a red potato with seasonings and a little cheese, or try sweet potato mash or cauliflower. I know in the past when I was out of control I would take one thing at a time and take control of it, so start by getting all your Water in, then keep that going and add in protein, etc. Good luck and I hope you can find your path Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Now that I am on the post-op side I am trying to plan for my future meals and eating. I'm just curious, what items are your go-to items? What do you never leave the store without? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am day 3 post-op sleeve so I can tell you how it went for me. I packed, PJs, robe, slippers, some toiletries and my phone and earphones. I used very little of it except my phone with headphones, I downloaded some audiobooks and they were a good distraction. I didn't even use my robe because I only walked around my room. I woke up from surgery in a lot of pain, mostly hurt to breathe. I spent most of the day in recovery with them trying to get my pain under control. I'll be honest that scared me a lot but by that night I was doing much better. I was pretty out of it with the pain meds, I slept and only got up to use the restroom. By the next morning I was doing much better, still pretty sore and taking a decent amount of pain drugs but I came home and rested most of that day. Yesterday I only had to take a half dose of pain meds in the morning and then I took some before bed last night. I'm sore and I get a decent amount of gas pain when I drink but I have found warm liquids are going down better. I had some gas pain and first bowel movement pain last night but all manageable. This morning I took half a dose of pain meds again and overall I feel pretty good. Less discomfort then yesterday and liquids are going down easier. I have been doing a few chores this morning around the house, keeping things slow and taking breaks to drink and not push to hard. I haven't been hungry at all except I will say my husband made popcorn yesterday afternoon and the smell trigger a salty/crunchy craving, I made some broth and that seemed to work for me and I was fine. Good luck, I know for me I am glad to be on this side of things, preop was tough and now I am relieved to finally be working through the stages Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My surgeon doesn't offer the band anymore, that was the surgery I had originally planned to get. My cousin had it over 10 years ago, she had some complications initially but has been very successful overall. I have several friends who had gastric bypass, a couple regained and have a lot of complications, one actually died from complications and some have been very successful. There are so many variables and I think you have to choose the path that makes most sense to you. I chose the sleeve but I am not far enough post op yet to give you any long term experience but I am happy with my choice. Bypass always scared me so that wasn't an option for me. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am only a couple days post op but I have been doing weight loss for most of my life and I have many eating out tricks that have helped me over the years. First I try to be the one to pick a restaurant or I try to push my few suggestions. This allows me to prepare in advance what I will eat by going online and reviewing the menu. I have even called ahead and asked nutritional questions regarding how certain dishes are prepped. This helps me avoid that long conversation with the server and the eye rolls from friends and family about me being "picky". Sometimes if my sister is with me, we go in with a plan to split a meal, or depending on the group I'm with and how comfortable I am with them I will ask the server to only give me half my meal on a plate and the other half already delivered in a too go box. Also it's nice to find restaurants that will let you order items a'la carte, many will do this even if not on a menu and again that can be discovered with an easy phone call, if you tell them you are on a special diet they are mostly very accommodating. Well and one benefit to not drinking and eating at the same time is that restaurant drinks are way overpriced, so it saves money. I also like to suggest going out to breakfast/brunch because I can usually get a omelet with some veggies and you don't have to deal with the whole appetizer/drinks/desserts issues. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My surgeon gave me really very little guidelines for this, he said average is two weeks but he had seen people return in 3 days, it all depends on your own recovery. I just had surgery last Friday, I arranged to work from home for two weeks. That way if I get tired or feel sick I can take a nap or whatever. Today is still a holiday so I start working from home tomorrow and I feel up for it. I am sore but overall pain is manageable, only taking pain meds at night to help sleep and I was able to stay up all day yesterday without needing a nap but I did have some bowel movement issues that would not have been fun at work. I would see how flexible your employer is to flex your back to work date based on how you are feeling Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm not familiar with Yogurt land but I know the frozen yogurt places near me usually offer a sugar free flavor option and usually fresh fruit as a topping. I would check out their website and see if you can get some details before you go, if you plan ahead as to what you can have it will help to avoid temptation, at least I find that works best for me Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Premier Protein is ok but my favorites so far are the Syntrax Matrix ones mint cookie, chocolate and Peanut Butter are all super yummy also the Syntrax naturals peach I loved. I got a bunch of samples and some I love and others I hate but it has been nice to have some variety Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I ate a lot of chicken salads, I used fresh salsa as a dressing, I also made a taco Soup with Beans and ground turkey and I had chicken meatballs with roasted peppers and onions or chicken fajitas in a lettuce wrap instead of tortillas. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was having issues with Water, my surgery was 12/30 and I have found warm tea to go down better or diluted apple juice, just making it work as best I can at this point Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I like Beesential orange ginger lip balm it is made with beeswax and shea Butter instead of petroleum. It smells great and softens my lips but doesn't cause the issues of traditional lip balms Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Holidays have been hard being on pre-op diet, lots of food and food smells and gatherings with and around food, and yes in some ways I wish it would all go away and stay hidden from me but that is not reality. The reality is that I can't avoid food and I actually feel better now when I can say, nope I can't eat that, the scary part is later when you can choose to indulge and have to make that choice Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Order some samples, I got Syntrax samples online in a ton of different flavors, got a few kinds of ready made shakes, etc and I am trying different things. Some I have loved and some I have gagged down but I'm glad I did that because now I know which to spend my money on Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had a Fitbit but ended up with a Misfit Shine because I could wear swimming and I didn't have to charge it all of the time Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

So far for me the Syntrax has been my favorite, I got sample packets of the nectar Naturals, Nectars and Matrix and I am soooo glad I did, it is nice to try flavors and I have been surprised by my favorites and some of the ones I didn't care for. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Magnificent2016 I started on Dec 16th and I have lost 20 pounds, which seems crazy to me, but I have lipo-lymphedema which means it might be a drop in my Fluid retention, I am also much heavier than many here so that makes a difference as well Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I actually expected worse then it has been, not that it has been easy, one more week and surgery day is here, will be a hard weekend but making a plan to make it work. It has helped to see how fast the pounds are dropping on my preop diet, it is good motivation Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have a similar one,2+ shakes and one meal of Protein and veggies. Everyone on here is different for preop, follow the advice of your surgeon because as that keeps things safer and more consistent for them during surgery. I am one week in on my preop diet and so far it hasn't been too bad, hard time of year to be on it so I am super grateful for having the one meal of real food Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm on my pre-op diet and I can have shakes and one small meal a day of lean Protein and veggies. Today I had grilled chicken on a salad with salsa as my dressing. Yesterday I had chicken meatballs with roasted peppers and onions, let's see I also did a taco Soup with ground turkey, tomatoes, onions and Beans. Basically I have taken my typical dinners and reduced the portions and cut out the carbs and fats as much as I can. Good luck with your last week Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have lipo-lymphedema so swollen legs is an everyday thing for me. If the swelling is not that bad, you can try k-tape you can find you tube videos that talk about that. Compression garments are also always an option. I would recommend discussing it with your doctor to make sure there is not a health concern to address. I ignored my swelling legs for years and it landed me in the hospital twice in the past year, it is not a symptom to ignore. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I just started preop diet yesterday. Last night I grilled chicken and onions with Trader Joe's chili lime seasoning and I wrapped in lettuce and tonight I am making a taco Soup. It sounds like I can have more variety though, mine is 2 or more Protein shakes a day plus one small meal of lean meat and veggies, but I can also have Beans or eggs. If you can have veggies I would also try like a salsa chicken in a crockpot. I am also planning to make a stuffed pepper soup with turkey sausage. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I agree, I love my Erin Condren but wish it was less bulky. You might try a planner by mom agenda. It is designed for moms who coordinate multiple kids schedules but I used it when I was balancing school, work and family Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

It's funny to me how different pre-op diets are, I am only allowed one small meal of Protein and veggies a day, and other then that 2-3 Protein shakes. I might do my meal at lunch since it seems to be harder during the day. HIraeth-I agree it is annoying. My husband is diabetic and even telling his coworkers that and they pressure him to eat sweets. He actually got mad at one coworker yesterday because she was pestering him so bad. I have learned to accept the treat and casually dump it in the trash, leaving a crumb or two on the plate/napkin on my desk and then people seem to be more ok with you passing on things because you already indulged. I work in an open office with A LOT of people and it is NON-STOP this time of year. If I wasn't using my sick/vacation for my surgery in two weeks I would have requested the time off Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes, just starting, hang in there and as much as possible get the temptations out of the house. For me work is worse because I can't control how many goodies are constantly being put on my desk or plates of them everywhere. I told my coworkers I am on a special diet but it is funny how that just makes them worse, they say things like, one little cookie/candy/treat won't hurt, it's the holidays. This will be a challenging holiday season but worth it in the end Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Since you liked the agenda idea, I will say I splurged a little on this, I have always loved Erin Condren planners but couldn't justify one and decided my Christmas present for me was a personalized monthly planner, there are a bunch of you tube videos on how to turn a planner into almost a scrapbook of sorts and I am looking forward to having fun with it as my encouragement to track my food, goals, etc. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App